


Seasons

by star_witness



Category: Mother Love Bone, Nirvana (Band), Pearl Jam, Soundgarden (Band)
Genre: 90s, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, M/M, Multi, Video Dating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:20:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28986993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_witness/pseuds/star_witness
Summary: Inspired by @jamjar88,this photoandthis articleEnjoy friends <3Tags will be updated by chapter!
Relationships: Bruce Fairweather/Stone Gossard (mentioned), Chris Cornell/Stone Gossard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by @jamjar88, [this photo](https://sophiezscanz.tumblr.com/post/624161764630806528/happy-birthday-chris-stone-give-credit-if) and [this article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/27/what-i-learned-about-romance-by-working-at-a-video-dating-service-in-the-90s/)
> 
> Enjoy friends <3
> 
> Tags will be updated by chapter!

“Stoney, you okay?”

A gentle hand came down on Stone’s shoulder pulling him from his train of thought.

“What was that Mike? Sorry dude I zoned pretty hard there.” 

Putting the finishing touches on the last drink order of the day, Stone placed the cup of foamy goodness in front of the customer. He gave a small salute at the customer’s “thank you” and moved around Mike to start cleaning up.

“I asked if you were free tonight? You want to jam? I’ve been working on som-“

“I can’t. Got something planned.” Stone called over his shoulder as he hunched over the industrial sink scrubbing canisters.

Mike stared at him for a moment before playfully swatting Stone with the end of his broom.

“Something planned? You got a hot date? Stone finally going out with someone?”

Mike’s teasing was playful enough but it still unsettled Stone just a bit. If only having a hot date were the truth. He wished he could confide in Mike but truthfully? A part of Stone still felt embarrassed. 

He avoided the question by simply smiling and continuing his work, hoping Mike would drop it. As Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” came rumbling in through the speakers, Mike’s attention turned elsewhere distracted by the music.

They both focused on finishing up their shift, ticking off the mental checklist of closing tasks. Rain had made for a slower shift as customers trickled in throughout the day. It was fine for the both of them as their discussions always turned to random music trivia or new guitar techniques they were teaching themselves. Stone needed the distraction, to keep his mind off of later.

_I hope I’m not making a big mistake._

“Hey man, good luck tonight.”

Stone froze in place, the blood draining from his face.

_Shit, did I tell Mike?_

“With the date?” 

“Oh, yeah man. Thanks I appreciate it.”

It was the best cover he had for now having forgotten to think of an alibi.

“You know, I was just teasing you earlier. I'm happy for you, Stone. I guess this means you’re over Bruce?”

That part was true. He was over Bruce. It wasn’t hard to get over someone who treated you terribly. Someone who convinced your best friend that it was all your fault the relationship went south. That maybe your best friend hadn’t thought that highly of you from the beginning. 

No, that wasn’t that hard to get past. Like at all. 

It was trusting himself enough to allow someone back in. He didn’t think he was desperate. 

Just lonely.

He patted Mike on the back and then slid his arm around Mike’s shoulders, pulling him for a hug.

“I appreciate you man. Really.”

A shy smile crept across Mike’s face as he grabbed his belongings from beneath the counter.

“If you bail early from your date, give me a call dude! I’ll come over, show you this new song I’m working on!”

Stone grabbed his bag and gave a wave over his shoulder to Mike as he made his way out the shop.

There was a break in the rain, the clouds still hanging heavy and low. Stone ran to catch the bus to take him to the other side of town, thankful to have a moment of quiet as he collapsed into his seat.

If anything he’d blame this clear lapse of judgement on Mike McCready. Last week during their opening shift at the coffee shop, Mike wouldn’t stop freaking out over Dave’s new gig.

“Get this Stoney. He works at a video dating service. I told him, he’s gotta bring over some unedited footage. I’m sure there are some real _freaks_ in this town.”

Stone just laughed as he focused on steaming his fifth cappuccino of the morning. Mike continued on his rant as he refilled containers of whole coffee beans.

“Seriously, think about it. What loser needs to sit in front of a camera to get a date? Just...like _go outside_.” 

At the moment he had agreed with Mike, that hiring someone to get dates was absurd. Had convinced himself at one point that he was single because he _wanted_ to be and when he was ready to meet someone it would just _happen_. 

But unfortunately...it just wasn’t. 

He couldn’t share with Mike or anyone really that he was actually considering it. Stone was a self-identified weirdo but definitely not a loser.

Later that evening, he found himself dialing Dave’s number and in hushed tones explained his predicament. 

With a promise of a small payment of $50 and free coffee for as long as Stone was employed, Dave agreed to shoot his video.

_This might be a really good thing. Meeting someone outside my social circle._

All of Stone’s friends were smart, creative...Interesting people. He didn’t think they would hesitate to play matchmaker, to find someone who was more than compatible. At the very least attractive. The issue was they were all mostly musicians and Bruce was in the scene. Their scene.

He needed a clean slate.

LUV CO. was there to help with that.

Looking down at the scrap of paper in his hand, the address was written out hastily in his handwriting. He pulled the line to bring the bus to a halt, recognizing the building from a newspaper article he read on his break.

The building itself was nondescript, a plain brick building nestled between two larger office buildings. Written across the glass doors was LUV CO. in bold, white lettering outlined in red.

The hustle and bustle of the city swirled around him as he took it all in. It was hard to imagine _this_ was the place where people went to find connection. 

Adjusting the strap of his bag and running his fingers through his long hair, he pushed open the doors to Luv Co. He was as ready as he could be.

“Oh my gosh, _hi!_ You must be Stone!”

The receptionist jumped up from her seat, leaning across the desk with her hand outstretched.

Stone didn’t immediately respond as he struggled to place her face in his memories. Had they met before?

“I’m Melissa, I work with Dave. He told me you’d be coming in...unless you aren’t Stone?” she asked, slowly retracting her outreached hand.

“Oh no no it’s me. I’m Stone.”

He grasped her hand and she gave a simple shake, a big bright smile returning to her face. That was probably important; somebody young, friendly and cute to greet you to ease your nerves.

Melissa appeared to be in her early 20s, brown hair with curls so tight they bounced anytime she moved. Her glasses were a soft pink and the frames were in the shape of hearts.

_Real subtle._

“I’ll go back and let Dave know you’re here. Just one sec.”

She pushed her glasses back up her nose as she walked behind a red velvet curtain. The lobby of Luv Co. left just as much to be desired as the building itself. Bare white walls with chairs , that Stone was sure his family’s dentist had at his practice, occupied the space. Two plastic palms stood neglected in opposite corners of the room collecting dust. The only decoration was a cork board behind reception, a display of all the couples happily matched together through Luv Co. Beside Melissa’s desk was a tv stand with a promotional video that played on an endless loop.

“Here at Luv Co, the greatest love of all could be waiting for you just beyond those curtains.” bolstered a man with greasy hair and an even slicker smile.

“Yeah, I highly doubt that.” Stone scoffed, shifting impatiently.

_But the joke’s on me I guess, I’m buying into this._

“Gossard! Hey man!”

Dave emerged from the back wearing a black button up and a gaudy red bolo tie synched right up to his throat. Melissa wasn’t too far behind, resuming her spot at reception. Dave wrapped an arm around Stone’s shoulders, pulling him in tight to his side. 

“You ready to do this?”

Stone winced at the volume of Dave’s voice. He was always so loud but his overall positive demeanor was completely infectious. Stone couldn’t help but smile and nod his head.

“Don’t be shy dude! Come on.”

Arm still wrapped around Stone, Dave led him behind the red velvet curtain calling out to Melissa to “hold all his calls for the next hour.” She just rolled her eyes and giggled as they disappeared down the short, carpeted hallway.

“Thanks for doing this Grohl. I appreciate your...discretion on this as well.” Stone handed Dave the wad of cash from his jacket pocket. Dave gleefully plucked the roll from Stone’s hand, tucking it into his shirt pocket and securing it with a pat.

“Hey man it’s no problem. I’m not here to judge, I’m just the help. Come on, I’ve got us set up right through here.”

Stone found that quality so rare in Seattle. Dave rarely judged anyone and it felt genuine. 

Looking at how everything was arranged, it didn’t seem too far off from those skeevy casting couches Stone had heard about. A camcorder stood on a tripod pointing at a bright red couch with two huge heart pillows. The backdrop was a soft blue with wisps of white throughout to give the illusion of clouds. Even the lighting had dimmers connected to them which Dave was currently adjusting.

“You ready?”

In that moment, Stone felt like he might bolt out of there. Offer up another two week’s worth of tips just to make sure Dave kept really quiet about it. 

It seemed appropriate that Andy would pop into his mind at that moment. He’d probably tell him to just do it Stoney and if it sucked, they’d laugh about it later. Maybe turn the experience into a chart topping, catchy pop song. A power ballad for the ages.

He missed Andy a lot.

Stone placed his bag down and unzipped the top pulling out garment after garment of options.

“I’ll just need to change out of these work clothes, put on a little bit of a face…”

Dave smiled, excited that Stone was finally showing a little enthusiasm.

“Yeah dude take all the time you need. I’ll be here for you.”

**

“Hey man.”

Stone jumped, startled by the quiet blonde leaning against the door. A trail of cigarette smoke wafted around his face as he took Stone in, the ashes falling to the floor of the hallway. 

“Kurt. How’s it going?” Stone called over his shoulder as he checked the mail, mostly full of junk.

“It’s going. Didn't mean to startle you.”

Stone waived him off as he closed his mailbox, tossing the pile into the lobby trash can.

“Looks like you got new neighbors.” Kurt shared, leaning down to pick up an orange tabby rubbing against his leg.

Stone reached out to scratch at the kitten’s head, softly cooing as it purred appreciative of his touch.

“Is that what’s happening?” Stoney asked, distracted by the affectionate cat. Arriving back to his apartment he noticed the front door to the lobby propped open, something management was always complaining about.

“Yeah man. Two real _rockers_ it looks like.”

“Oh yeah, this place is infested with them.”

“Haven’t you heard man? Seattle is the new “it” town, this is the place to be discovered.”

Stone thought of Andy and Bruce. Of Mother Love Bone. Faded rock star dreams.

“Yeah for some maybe.”

He looked at Kurt, mesmerized by the cobalt blue of his eyes. Kurt was elusive and shy, rarely left his apartment except for work. Stone usually ran into Tobi, Kurt’s girlfriend, who was always kind enough to stop for a chat. She was Kurt’s polar opposite: loud, charming and forceful. The balance made sense although sometimes, you could hear them arguing through the walls when the scales tipped too far in one direction.

“Are you, you wearing eyeliner?”

Stone’s fingers made their way to his face, fidgeting with his hair.

“Oh yeah…I was on a date.” Stone lied.

Kurt smiled as he brought the cigarette back to his lips.

“Hope it went well.” 

“Yeah I...I think it did.”

Another smile from Kurt and he made his excuses to turn in, cigarette burning down to the filter. 

“Make sure you say hi to Brad for me.”

Stone promised as he waved goodbye to Kurt and made his way up to his third floor walk up. His thoughts wandered back to just a few hours ago, sitting on that tacky couch pouring his heart out to Dave and future strangers. Had he shared too much? Should he call Dave and change his answers? 

_I’ll have to just let it be._

“Hey man can you help me out--- _Shit._ ”

Stone watched as someone struggling with a large moving box folded in on itself, collapsing right before him and it’s contents spilling all over the hall.

_“Fuck me!”_

“Oh hey, let me help!”

Stone reached down to pick up the few items that had scattered throughout the hallway for his new neighbor. 

“Stone?”

At the sound of his name, he met eyes with someone who he never thought he’d see again.

“Chris? Holy shit, you’re back?”

Chris nodded, a shy smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah man, I’m back.”

Stone was shocked by the sight of Chris. If he had to be honest with himself, Chris still looked good. Tall and tan with a lean muscular frame. Clearly San Diego had been _very good_ to him. Stone handed Chris a handful of books, a blush forming on his face. It was universally accepted in their scene that Chris had “it”; he looked the part of the talented, hot rockstar but never played into it. He was shy, quiet and kept mostly to himself and his close circle of friends. One of them being Andy Wood. The day of Andy’s passing, Chris packed up his things and left Seattle like a ghost in the night. Stone and Chris hadn’t been entirely close but he always wondered if Chris had stayed then maybe the blow of having lost the light of their lives wouldn’t have stung as hard as it did.

Stone cleared his throat, catching himself staring at Chris.

“I guess this makes us neighbors then. I’m just right here.” Stone pointed to his door as he fumbled with his keys.

“Right on. I’ll come over if I need a cup of sugar or whatever it is that people bother their neighbors for.” Chris joked, picking up another box from the hallway.

“You could never be a bother Chris.”

They both smiled at that, Stone feeling a little light headed at Chris’ smile.

“Chris! What’s takin...Oh.”

Another person appeared in the doorway, eyeing Stone suspiciously. He was shorter than Chris, matching long brown hair coming down in waves across his shoulders. 

“Oh shit, what happened to that box?” he asked, taking in the mess around them. Stone noticed his accent immediately, California surfer dripping from his vernacular.

“Box broke. Stone was kind enough to help pick some of this shit up though.”

Chris turned to Stone, pointing to the mysterious person. 

“This is Eddie, my roommate. Eddie this is Stone. We go way back.”

Eddie stuck his hand out and Stone shook it, an enthusiastic shake from Ed. 

_Damn! How did I end up with two hot neighbors? Just my luck._

He needed to make his exit before he said something he would regret later.

“I’ve gotta go, Brad is waiting for me. It’s good to meet you Eddie...glad you’re back Chris.” 

Stone didn’t wait for a response hustling to get inside his apartment, missing the hushed “Who’s Brad?” from Eddie. He rushed inside, closing the door behind him and leaning against it.

“Fuck me, what a day.”

A sigh of relief left his lips as he tossed his backpack and jacket across his couch. Grabbing his guitar and his tiny one hitter, he slumped onto the couch thankful for a moment alone.

“Brad! Come sit. Come sit with me, my child.” 

Stone watched as Brad waltzed in from the bedroom, stretching his body before hopping up onto the couch. Sleek black fur gave way to glimmers of brown and red in the sunlight from the window as he nuzzled Stone’s hand for pets.

“Looks like we got new neighbors.” Stone whispered to his cat, rubbing along his head and back. Turning his attention back to his guitar, he took a small hit from his pipe - a gift from Andy years ago. Brad curled up on the seat next to him as he exhaled the smoke and strummed a few chords, letting his mind wander back to Chris.

_It’s just a matter of time before we are thrown back in the wheel_


End file.
